Not
everyone decides to have children, but by a certain age there's a
good chance you'll start thinking about having a family.

Something that comes up a lot is how the parental duties are
divided, and how women are often the ones who are expected to
give up work.

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In a recent blog post on
Fortune.com, cofounder of Airbnb Nathan Blecharczyk spoke
about the importance of parental care, and how men should be
offered leave as the norm when they have children, as well as
their female partners.

In the Fortune post, Blecharczyk says that he has been the sole
caretaker of his young daughter for the past two years, while his
wife worked as a doctor. He said that as well as having improved
his relationship with his children and wife, it has also made him
into a better worker.

"While it may seem counterintuitive, having the responsibilities
of parenthood can actually help you more effectively prioritize
your time," he wrote. "While I spend less time overall working
now than before, I find myself making better use of it."

For example, he has learned to prioritise tasks more carefully,
and is less likely to spend a long time arranging meetings or
writing long emails if a simple phone call will do.

He added that when employees have the freedom to balance their
professional and personal lives, they are more likely to be their
best selves at work.

"When the employer plays a role in helping employees achieve that
goal, their employee's loyalty will increase, and the culture of
the company will benefit immensely," Blecharczyk
said. "These days, a soul-sucking company is simply no longer
sustainable."

Blecharczyk described the first time he became aware of the facts
that fathers need parental leave. In 2010 he interviewed Stan
Kong for the position of controller in the finance department,
and Kong said he would need time off when his son was born, and
flexibility about when he would return.

"I really admired his commitment to his family," Blecharczyk
said. "His commitment to the company turned out to be no
different. For these reasons, I'm an advocate of providing more
benefits to parents, including paid parental leave."

Airbnb now provides all new mothers and fathers with 10 weeks of
paid leave, as well as the option to have four-day weeks for
eight weeks after that.

"I think it's incumbent on those of us in positions of leadership
to create a supportive environment that empowers our employees,"
Blecharczyk wrote. "I'm calling upon corporate leaders to embrace
paid paternity leave. This is not just an investment in our
collective future, but also a benefit that leads to a strong
workplace culture."

Shared parental leave was introduced in the UK in 2015,
but a study shows only 1% of fathers take advantage of
it.

The study, by
First4Lawyers, also showed that 28 countries have better
paternity leave and pay schemes than the UK, including Iran,
Congo, and Burkina Faso. Currently, dads are entitled to 10
working days off at 80% of their salary as paternal leave.
However, the law firm suggests that an increase to four weeks at
100% pay would be more favourable.